Certain chronic diseases may be treated, according to modern medical techniques, by delivering a medication or other substance to a patient-user's body, either in a continuous manner or at particular times or time intervals within an overall time period. For example, diabetes is a chronic disease that is commonly treated by delivering defined amounts of insulin to the patient-user at appropriate times. Some common modes of providing an insulin therapy to a patient-user include delivery of insulin through manually operated syringes and insulin pens. Other modern systems employ programmable pumps to deliver controlled amounts of insulin to a patient-user.
Pump type delivery devices have been configured in external devices (that connect to a patient-user) or implantable devices (to be implanted inside of a patient-user's body). External pump type delivery devices include devices designed for use in a generally stationary location (for example, in a hospital or clinic), and further devices configured for ambulatory or portable use (to be carried by a patient-user). Examples of some external pump type delivery devices are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/211,095, filed Aug. 23, 2005, titled “Infusion Device And Method With Disposable Portion” and Published PCT Application WO 01/70307 (PCT/US01/09139) titled “Exchangeable Electronic Cards For Infusion Devices” (each of which is owned by the assignee of the present invention), Published PCT Application WO 04/030716 (PCT/US2003/028769) titled “Components And Methods For Patient Infusion Device,” Published PCT Application WO 04/030717 (PCT/US2003/029019) titled “Dispenser Components And Methods For Infusion Device,” U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0065760 titled “Method For Advising Patients Concerning Doses Of Insulin,” and U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,229 titled “Wearable Self-Contained Drug Infusion Device,” each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
External pump type delivery devices may be connected in fluid-flow communication to a patient-user, for example, through a suitable hollow tubing. The hollow tubing may be connected to a hollow needle that is designed to pierce the patient-user's skin and deliver an infusion medium to the patient-user. Alternatively, the hollow tubing may be connected directly to the patient-user as or through a cannula or set of micro-needles.
In contexts in which the hollow tubing is connected to the patient-user through a hollow needle that pierces the patient-user's skin, a manual insertion of the needle into the patient-user can be somewhat traumatic to the patient-user. Accordingly, insertion mechanisms have been made to assist the insertion of a needle into the patient-user, whereby a needle is forced by a spring to quickly move from a retracted position into an extended position. Examples of insertion mechanisms that are built into a delivery device are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/211,095, filed Aug. 23, 2005, titled “Infusion Device And Method With Disposable Portion” (assigned to the assignee of the present invention), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other examples of insertion tools are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0022855, titled “Insertion Device For An Insertion Set And Method Of Using The Same” (assigned to the assignee of the present invention), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other examples of needle/cannula insertion tools that may be used (or modified for use) to insert a needle and/or cannula, are described in, for example U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/389,132 filed Mar. 14, 2003, and entitled “Auto Insertion Device For Silhouette Or Similar Products,” and/or U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/314,653 filed Dec. 9, 2002, and entitled “Insertion Device For Insertion Set and Method of Using the Same,” both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. As the needle is moved into the extended position, the needle is quickly forced through the patient-user's skin in a single, relatively abrupt motion that can be less traumatic to certain patient-users as compared to a slower, manual insertion of a needle. While a quick thrust of the needle into the patient-user's skin may be less traumatic to some patient's than a manual insertion, it is believed that, in some contexts, some patients may feel less trauma if the needle is moved a very slow, steady pace.
As compared to syringes and insulin pens, pump type delivery devices can be significantly more convenient to a patient-user, in that accurate doses of insulin may be calculated and delivered automatically to a patient-user at any time during the day or night. Furthermore, when used in conjunction with glucose sensors or monitors, insulin pumps may be automatically controlled to provide appropriate doses of infusion medium at appropriate times of need, based on sensed or monitored levels of blood glucose.
Pump type delivery devices have become an important aspect of modern medical treatments of various types of medical conditions, such as diabetes. As pump technologies improve and doctors and patient-users become more familiar with such devices, the popularity of external medical infusion pump treatment increases and is expected to increase substantially over the next decade.